Question Windows / Sound Blaster putting volume lower and outputting in mono instead of 7.1 ?

[myne145]

Hello,
I started having sound issue for the last 2 months. My Sound Blaster card started outputting audio in significantly lower volume and only in mono instead of 7.1 (virtual) sound that I have in my headphones.

The issue happens randomly, the only thing I noticed is that it happens way more often when my computer is under any kind of load, playing games, rendering video, etc.
The only fixes I found was restarting Windows Audio Service, or switching audio outputs in SB Command. Unfortunetly it removes it only temporarily, and after some time my audio is in mono again. Also my Sound Blaster Command sometimes freezes, attepting to kill its process or restarting Creative Audio Service does nothing.
For permanent fixes I tried reinstalling / updating audio driver, turning off audio enchancements in control panel, and fully reinstalling Windows. None of that helped me.

My setup:

• Ryzen 5 3600
• Asus TUF gaming X570 Plus
• SoundBlaster X AE-5
• Razer Blackshark V2 Headphones
• Windows 10 Pro

I can also add that I have Oculus/Meta Quest 2 VR headset plugged into my PC using link cable, but the problem was there before I bought the headset, so I don't think that's its cause. This audio glitch is only hearable when I use my computer, I have never got it in VR.